Saskatchewan Red Cross preparing for refugees

Saskatchewan Red Cross is trying to figure out what role it will play when Syrian refugees arrive.

“Our role will be to help fill gaps with our partners. And we’re just determining what those gaps are, and how we might be able to fit in,” explained Cindy Fuchs, vice-president of the province’s Red Cross branch.

Fuchs said they still don’t know how many people will be arriving here, or when. However, they have had several meetings with the other parties involved, the provincial government, the Salvation Army, and the Open Door Society.

“If people have unmet needs that aren’t been filled by somebody else, that’s when the Red Cross comes in.”

Fuchs called the response a coordinated effort.

“I’m pretty proud to be part of Saskatchewan. We’re ready for any amount, or anybody that comes our way. Now, it’s not going to be easy, for any agency, but we tend to work, in this province, together.”

She compared the work done to deal with the refugees with the work that was done to deal with thousands of people who were forced out of their homes by wildfires in northern Saskatchewan.